The project, "Kill Me Already" consists of an audio cast which includes dialogue on a "conversation that never happened" in Genesis. "Kill Me Already" includes the details of Cain and Abel, two brothers always compared to each other. In this audio cast, one will hear the last words and arguments between the two brothers before one of them turns out to be dramatically killed. An analysis of the audio cast as well as a character analysis paragraph for Cain and Abel are also included. The project also includes a painting of Cain and Abel in which their traits are showcased and has a brief background of the artist and the painting included. A brainstorming chart of my plans for this project will show the way in which I prepared for the dialogue.
Audio Cast:
Narrator:Cain and Abel, two brothers, had just given the Lord offerings. Cain had given an offering of "fruit of the ground", and Abel had given the fat portions of the "firstlings of his flock". The Lord had regard for Abel's offering, but unfortunately not Cain's, which made Cain extremely angry.
Cain: Come on brother, let's go out to the yard. I want to show you something that I think you will like...
Narrator : They walked towards the field and stopped near a lonely oak tree.
Abel : *Uh, what in the world would Cain want to show me? This is kind of shady, not going to lie*. Soo... What did you want to show me? I don't really see anything noteworthy out here. Maybe we should go back, it's getting quite dark out.
Cain : Just listen. I know you and I are apparently brothers or whatever, which really doesn't mean anything to me... But I need to be the absolute best. And you are currently standing in the way of achieving my goals.
Abel : So, what are you saying? Just because I have more talent, intelligence, and power than you, you feel the need to do something about it? You really are pathetic, Cain, did you know that? Honestly. I'm getting out of here.
Cain : *Grabs Abel's arm with force.* No, you do not have more talent than me. In fact, I think that I am the one with more regard over the both of us. *Yes, I'll try to make it look like he is the stupid one. Perfect.* The reason is because I know that God likes you better and will therefore give you favors more than he will give me. I can't have that. I just need myself to be the best, and you are currently standing in the way of that. Get it? I'm going to fix it right now.
Abel : *Is he trying to fool himself? He knows that I am smarter than him, which is the reason God likes me more.* Oh, really? How vapid are you? So, you tell me, Mr. Genius, how are you going to fix that? You're not very wise, remember? Hah.
Cain : I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I need to be the best and have all of God's good blessings. I admit, you are stronger and wiser than me, which is why I can't have you hanging around anymore. All you do is make me look bad. Don't you see? *Pulls out knife*.
Abel : *Oh please, does he really think that he has the guts to kill me? I've never even seen him open a jar of pickles without asking me for help. I can totally take this scrawny guy.* Cain, Cain, Cain. I always knew you were dumb, but this gives a whole new definition to the word 'stupid'. You really think you can kill me? Please. Stop fooling yourself. You and me both know that you wouldn't dare to do something like that. So put the knife down. Better yet, why don't you use the knife to cut more fruit from the ground and offer it to God? Maybe this time, he will take pity on you and give your offering some regard. Although, I wouldn't go to him with any hope... We all know that you're going to fail... Again.
Cain : *Grips the knife tighter*. Don't you know that you are not making this situation any better by mocking me? Say goodbye to your life, Abel, because I'm about to end it.
Abel : *Gosh, just kill me already. I don't want to listen to his annoying voice any longer*. How insecure are you that you have to KILL someone in either to get what you want? Can't you be normal and just put some effort into your life for once, and NOT take the easy way out?
Cain : I'll tell you this, Abel, and only because you're about to die. I was never the strong or wise in the family. You always were. And YOU were the one who always got the good blessings and the one that our parents loved the most. And I always wanted to be as strong as you, in either to get that. So, now, I'm going to finally get it.
Abel : Listen, I really cannot stand any more garbage today. I'm going to go. Have fun, Cain.
Cain : *grabs Abel's arm roughly and looks at him straight in the eye* No, YOU listen. Every single day I pray and pray to be as strong as you, to be as wise as you, to have God like me more than you. And every single day, it NEVER works. So I'm done trying. I' m done living in your shadow and never being able to live up to the standards that you have set. You are a remarkable man, too remarkable, which is the problem. I have to be better than you, and I won't stop until I am. All the times you have mocked me, teased me, bullied me... I am finally paying you back for this. And it feels good. It feels incredibly good.
Abel : *Oh crap... So he is serious about killing me. What am I supposed to do now? Run? No, the field is wet and I would trip and he would end up killing me anyways. Beg for mercy? And stoop down to his level? No. Shout for help? No, that just sounds wimpy. Fight him back? No, he has a knife so he'll use that to his advantage. Oh boy, let's just say goodbye to my life.* Come on, let's think about this Cain...
Cain : No, I've already thought about this enough. And I've decided what I want to do. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm really not. Bye-bye. *Evil cackle* * Raises hand with knife
Narrator : Abel tried to run away, but was not fast enough. Cain grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back, piercing his heart with a silver blade. Soft cries from Abel were heard all across the yard as his heart stopped beating. Cain's hands were covered in sopping red blood and his shirt stained. He walked back to his home, a smug smirk covering his face. He laughed wickedly as he washed off his hands and opened the front door.
Cain : I did it. I really did. I can be the best. Finally.
Character Analyses:
As a result of Cain's greediness, he finds himself becoming jealous when he does not get what he wants. The painting, Cain and Abel, by an anonymous artist, shows Cain on top of broad-chested Abel with a knife in one hand and the other strangled around Abel's neck. The small size of Cain compared to the broad size of Abel shows that Cain turns out to be weaker than Abel; Cain does not have build and strength like his brother. Therefore, Cain has spent his life being the weaker one of the family, making him insecure because of the fact that he never had the physical confidence that Abel had.
This insecurity of his leads him to become greedy because Cain craves to have everything in either to feel good about himself. In Genesis, after God gives Cain's offering no regard, God says, "'Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it'" (Gen. 4.6-4.7).
The word "accepted" means to "receive as adequate, valid, or suitable". Cain has not been "accepted" yet, something that he craves to gain. Cain wants to be regarded and become the best. He does not like anyone else who gets "accepted" and gains what the thing that he craves. When someone else (Abel) earns something that he does not, Cain becomes jealous because he knows that he does not have enough physical and mental strength to do the same things Abel succeeds at.
Abel's confidence leads him to believe that he does not need to worry about anyone else, therefore allowing himself to underestimate people. In Genesis, the redactors describe Abel getting regard for his offering; "And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard" (Gen. 4.4). The word "regard" means "high opinion; liking and respect; esteem" which shows that Abel has much more talent and power than his brother Cain; Cain has no regard whatsoever.
Abel knows because he had gained regard over his offering, and Cain had not. Abel's knowledge of this makes him confident and secure in the fact that he will always overpower his brother no matter what; he believes that he does not need to worry about that. In the same painting described above, Abel has a furrowed brow with a look of confusion on his face and his hand rests firmly on top of Cain's hand that is strangling Abel's neck. The look of confusion of Abel's face shows that Abel originally did not believe that Cain would really kill him. Abel did not believe that Cain did not have the power or strength to kill him when he really did.
About the Artwork:
Although this painting is by an anonymous author, the public has inferred and appropriately call the painting "Cain and Abel". The painting was done with oil and on canvas. The painting depicts Cain on top of Abel in the midst of their battle. The artist uses the eerie sky in the background of the setting to show that something dark and foreboding is coming, which turns out to be Abel's death. It is interesting that the artist put two mysterious figures in the background witnessing Abel's murder because of the fact that those details were not mentioned in the book.
The artist's strong use of detail of Cain and Abel reveal exactly how they are feeling at that moment; the furrowed brow of Abel shows his frustration. This painting has been used numerous times in various blogs around the internet that focus on the Genesis as well as the bible.
Various paintings in the same style like the one depicting Cain and Abel, can be found on the internet.
Dialogue Analysis:
In this dialogue, the author has conveyed the main traits of Cain and Abel through their words and actions. Throughout the dialogue, Cain develops the trait of insecurity and greediness. In one line, Cain expresses his insecurity by saying, "I admit, you are strong and wiser than me, which is why I can't have you hanging around anymore . All you do is make me look bad. Don't you see?". Cain does not say that as an opinion, but rather as a fact, as if he knows that what he is saying is the dead truth. He does not believe that he can ever match up to Abel's standards that he has set, making him insecure.
Cain also expresses his insecurity in this quote: "I was never the strong or wise in the family. You always were. And YOU were the one who always got the good blessings and the one that our parents loved the most. And I always wanted to be as strong as you, in either to get that". The author uses the word "never" to make it seem like Cain does not think he can ever become as good as Abel; he has tried before and has failed, leading him to infer that.
Cain also showcases his trait of greediness in the audio script. Right before Cain kills Abel, he utters these words, "No, I've already thought about this enough. And I've decided what I want to do. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm really not". Cain does not care that he is about to kill his own flesh and blood; the only person in cares about turns out to be himself. The fact that he wants to kill someone that did not do anything to him makes him incredibly selfish; performing that act will help himself and himself only.
Reflection:
Some of the strengths of my project include the dialogue and the layout and style of my Wiki page. I tried to convey each character's trait as clearly and evident as possible in my dialogue. My Wiki page includes many pictures and a clean-cut and easy to read layout. One of the weaknesses was the character analyses because I did not include enough details and analysis on why the characters possessed certain traits.
The primary obstacle for this project turned out to be finding information to write about in the "Artwork" section. The painting that I had chosen happened to be an anonymous painting, meaning there was no known author or title of the painting, leaving me clueless as to what I should write about. I overcame this obstacle by talking about the details of the painting and the techniques that the anonymous author used to convey his opinions about the situation.
During the process of completing this project, I have learned that I often do not use enough detail and extended analysis when analyzing something, like the characters in this project. In order to prevent this problem in the future, I will ask myself questions about what I have written to see if it supports my argument enough and does not leave any holes in my argument.
Kill Me Already
By Shana S.
Introduction:
The project, "Kill Me Already" consists of an audio cast which includes dialogue on a "conversation that never happened" in Genesis. "Kill Me Already" includes the details of Cain and Abel, two brothers always compared to each other. In this audio cast, one will hear the last words and arguments between the two brothers before one of them turns out to be dramatically killed. An analysis of the audio cast as well as a character analysis paragraph for Cain and Abel are also included. The project also includes a painting of Cain and Abel in which their traits are showcased and has a brief background of the artist and the painting included. A brainstorming chart of my plans for this project will show the way in which I prepared for the dialogue.Audio Cast:
Narrator:Cain and Abel, two brothers, had just given the Lord offerings. Cain had given an offering of "fruit of the ground", and Abel had given the fat portions of the "firstlings of his flock". The Lord had regard for Abel's offering, but unfortunately not Cain's, which made Cain extremely angry.
Cain: Come on brother, let's go out to the yard. I want to show you something that I think you will like...
Narrator : They walked towards the field and stopped near a lonely oak tree.
Abel : *Uh, what in the world would Cain want to show me? This is kind of shady, not going to lie*. Soo... What did you want to show me? I don't really see anything noteworthy out here. Maybe we should go back, it's getting quite dark out.
Cain : Just listen. I know you and I are apparently brothers or whatever, which really doesn't mean anything to me... But I need to be the absolute best. And you are currently standing in the way of achieving my goals.
Abel : So, what are you saying? Just because I have more talent, intelligence, and power than you, you feel the need to do something about it? You really are pathetic, Cain, did you know that? Honestly. I'm getting out of here.
Cain : *Grabs Abel's arm with force.* No, you do not have more talent than me. In fact, I think that I am the one with more regard over the both of us. *Yes, I'll try to make it look like he is the stupid one. Perfect.* The reason is because I know that God likes you better and will therefore give you favors more than he will give me. I can't have that. I just need myself to be the best, and you are currently standing in the way of that. Get it? I'm going to fix it right now.
Abel : *Is he trying to fool himself? He knows that I am smarter than him, which is the reason God likes me more.* Oh, really? How vapid are you? So, you tell me, Mr. Genius, how are you going to fix that? You're not very wise, remember? Hah.
Cain : I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I need to be the best and have all of God's good blessings. I admit, you are stronger and wiser than me, which is why I can't have you hanging around anymore. All you do is make me look bad. Don't you see? *Pulls out knife*.
Abel : *Oh please, does he really think that he has the guts to kill me? I've never even seen him open a jar of pickles without asking me for help. I can totally take this scrawny guy.* Cain, Cain, Cain. I always knew you were dumb, but this gives a whole new definition to the word 'stupid'. You really think you can kill me? Please. Stop fooling yourself. You and me both know that you wouldn't dare to do something like that. So put the knife down. Better yet, why don't you use the knife to cut more fruit from the ground and offer it to God? Maybe this time, he will take pity on you and give your offering some regard. Although, I wouldn't go to him with any hope... We all know that you're going to fail... Again.
Cain : *Grips the knife tighter*. Don't you know that you are not making this situation any better by mocking me? Say goodbye to your life, Abel, because I'm about to end it.
Abel : *Gosh, just kill me already. I don't want to listen to his annoying voice any longer*. How insecure are you that you have to KILL someone in either to get what you want? Can't you be normal and just put some effort into your life for once, and NOT take the easy way out?
Cain : I'll tell you this, Abel, and only because you're about to die. I was never the strong or wise in the family. You always were. And YOU were the one who always got the good blessings and the one that our parents loved the most. And I always wanted to be as strong as you, in either to get that. So, now, I'm going to finally get it.
Abel : Listen, I really cannot stand any more garbage today. I'm going to go. Have fun, Cain.
Cain : *grabs Abel's arm roughly and looks at him straight in the eye* No, YOU listen. Every single day I pray and pray to be as strong as you, to be as wise as you, to have God like me more than you. And every single day, it NEVER works. So I'm done trying. I' m done living in your shadow and never being able to live up to the standards that you have set. You are a remarkable man, too remarkable, which is the problem. I have to be better than you, and I won't stop until I am. All the times you have mocked me, teased me, bullied me... I am finally paying you back for this. And it feels good. It feels incredibly good.
Abel : *Oh crap... So he is serious about killing me. What am I supposed to do now? Run? No, the field is wet and I would trip and he would end up killing me anyways. Beg for mercy? And stoop down to his level? No. Shout for help? No, that just sounds wimpy. Fight him back? No, he has a knife so he'll use that to his advantage. Oh boy, let's just say goodbye to my life.* Come on, let's think about this Cain...
Cain : No, I've already thought about this enough. And I've decided what I want to do. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm really not. Bye-bye. *Evil cackle* * Raises hand with knife
Narrator : Abel tried to run away, but was not fast enough. Cain grabbed onto his arm and pulled him back, piercing his heart with a silver blade. Soft cries from Abel were heard all across the yard as his heart stopped beating. Cain's hands were covered in sopping red blood and his shirt stained. He walked back to his home, a smug smirk covering his face. He laughed wickedly as he washed off his hands and opened the front door.
Cain : I did it. I really did. I can be the best. Finally.
Character Analyses:
As a result of Cain's greediness, he finds himself becoming jealous when he does not get what he wants. The painting, Cain and Abel, by an anonymous artist, shows Cain on top of broad-chested Abel with a knife in one hand and the other strangled around Abel's neck. The small size of Cain compared to the broad size of Abel shows that Cain turns out to be weaker than Abel; Cain does not have build and strength like his brother. Therefore, Cain has spent his life being the weaker one of the family, making him insecure because of the fact that he never had the physical confidence that Abel had.
This insecurity of his leads him to become greedy because Cain craves to have everything in either to feel good about himself. In Genesis, after God gives Cain's offering no regard, God says, "'Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it'" (Gen. 4.6-4.7).
The word "accepted" means to "receive as adequate, valid, or suitable". Cain has not been "accepted" yet, something that he craves to gain. Cain wants to be regarded and become the best. He does not like anyone else who gets "accepted" and gains what the thing that he craves. When someone else (Abel) earns something that he does not, Cain becomes jealous because he knows that he does not have enough physical and mental strength to do the same things Abel succeeds at.
Abel's confidence leads him to believe that he does not need to worry about anyone else, therefore allowing himself to underestimate people. In Genesis, the redactors describe Abel getting regard for his offering; "And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard" (Gen. 4.4). The word "regard" means "high opinion; liking and respect; esteem" which shows that Abel has much more talent and power than his brother Cain; Cain has no regard whatsoever.
Abel knows because he had gained regard over his offering, and Cain had not. Abel's knowledge of this makes him confident and secure in the fact that he will always overpower his brother no matter what; he believes that he does not need to worry about that. In the same painting described above, Abel has a furrowed brow with a look of confusion on his face and his hand rests firmly on top of Cain's hand that is strangling Abel's neck. The look of confusion of Abel's face shows that Abel originally did not believe that Cain would really kill him. Abel did not believe that Cain did not have the power or strength to kill him when he really did.
About the Artwork:
Although this painting is by an anonymous author, the public has inferred and appropriately call the painting "Cain and Abel". The painting was done with oil and on canvas. The painting depicts Cain on top of Abel in the midst of their battle. The artist uses the eerie sky in the background of the setting to show that something dark and foreboding is coming, which turns out to be Abel's death. It is interesting that the artist put two mysterious figures in the background witnessing Abel's murder because of the fact that those details were not mentioned in the book.
The artist's strong use of detail of Cain and Abel reveal exactly how they are feeling at that moment; the furrowed brow of Abel shows his frustration. This painting has been used numerous times in various blogs around the internet that focus on the Genesis as well as the bible.
Various paintings in the same style like the one depicting Cain and Abel, can be found on the internet.
Dialogue Analysis:
Cain also expresses his insecurity in this quote: "I was never the strong or wise in the family. You always were. And YOU were the one who always got the good blessings and the one that our parents loved the most. And I always wanted to be as strong as you, in either to get that". The author uses the word "never" to make it seem like Cain does not think he can ever become as good as Abel; he has tried before and has failed, leading him to infer that.
Cain also showcases his trait of greediness in the audio script. Right before Cain kills Abel, he utters these words, "No, I've already thought about this enough. And I've decided what I want to do. I would say I'm sorry, but I'm really not". Cain does not care that he is about to kill his own flesh and blood; the only person in cares about turns out to be himself. The fact that he wants to kill someone that did not do anything to him makes him incredibly selfish; performing that act will help himself and himself only.
Reflection:
Some of the strengths of my project include the dialogue and the layout and style of my Wiki page. I tried to convey each character's trait as clearly and evident as possible in my dialogue. My Wiki page includes many pictures and a clean-cut and easy to read layout. One of the weaknesses was the character analyses because I did not include enough details and analysis on why the characters possessed certain traits.
The primary obstacle for this project turned out to be finding information to write about in the "Artwork" section. The painting that I had chosen happened to be an anonymous painting, meaning there was no known author or title of the painting, leaving me clueless as to what I should write about. I overcame this obstacle by talking about the details of the painting and the techniques that the anonymous author used to convey his opinions about the situation.
During the process of completing this project, I have learned that I often do not use enough detail and extended analysis when analyzing something, like the characters in this project. In order to prevent this problem in the future, I will ask myself questions about what I have written to see if it supports my argument enough and does not leave any holes in my argument.
Sources Cited:
Book Worm. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/boopsiedaisy/3427374474/>.
Echostains Blog. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 16 May 2010. <http://echostains.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/expanding-text-and-magical-imagery/>.
Finally Still. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/404notfound/293097984/>.
"Grandfathers Brushes." Flickr. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/beth1981/3255814173/>.
Pen and Paper. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/3469305764/>.
Rick Richards. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2010. <http://www.rickrichards.com/searth/earth_3.html>.
"Sharp Iron." The Murderous Root of Religion. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://sharpiron.wordpress.com/2009/02/25/the-murderous-root-of-religion/>.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible. 1973. 3rd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2007. Print.
White Flower Lotus. Flickr, n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/21644167@N04/2314306055/>.